An organizer sifts through some off the 218,297 collected in an effort to repeal Michigan's controversial emergency manager law in Detroit on February 28, 2012.Jonathan Oosting | MLive.com

LANSING MI -- The ballotcommittee fighting to overturn Michigan's so-called emergency manager law is sitting on a cash reserve with only two weeks to go before the election.

Stand Up For Democracy, which organized the signature drive that led to Proposal 1 being placed on the ballot, reported having nearly $1.4 million on hand as of October 21, according to new campaign finance documents filed with the Michigan Secretary of State.

The committee has raised a total of $1.9 million this election cycle, with the majority of that money -- $1.7 million -- coming in over the past three months.

"We wanted to gear up for the last push, as it were," said Greg Bowens, a spokesman for Stand Up. "Our advantage is that there really is no organized campaign to have Proposal 1 pass."

Stand Up has started to air radio and television commercials across the state, and Bowens said the committee continues to utilize the volunteer network it organized during the petition process.

Public Act 4 provides state-appointed emergency managers with broad powers to resolve fiscal crises in municipalities and school districts, including the ability to terminate public-sector union contracts.

A referendum will appear on the November ballot as Proposal 1. A "yes" vote will reinstate the law, which was temporarily suspended ahead of the election. A "no" vote will strike it from the books and, according to Attorney General Bill Schuette, result in reimplentation of an older, weaker version of the law.

AFSCME Council 25, which represents public sector workers throughout the state, remains the largest financial opponent of PA4, contributing $1.64 million to the repeal effort this period and a total of $1.83 million overall.

Citizens For Fiscal Responsibility, the ballot committee that is supporting PA 4 and urging a "yes" vote on Proposal 1, has raised a total of $125,000 this election cycle, according to disclosure statements available online.

The majority of that money came from the Honigman Miller Schwartz Cohn law firm, which made a $100,000 direct contribution on September 20. Prior to that date, all funding for the group had come from the similarly named Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, a nonprofit that is not required to disclose donors.

Like Stand Up, Citizens has spent a relatively small sum on the ballot proposal and, with the election fast approaching, has $100,518 on hand.

John Llewellyn of the Michigan Bankers Association, who co-founded the committee and now serves as treasurer, could not be reached for comment.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is a vocal supporter of PA 4, and recent polling suggests that support for Proposal 1 is growing as the election approaches. But a large chunk of voters remain undecided, and Stand Up remains confident about the prospect of repeal.

"We've defied predictions every step of the way by working together with people around the state," Bowens said, "and we think we're going to do it again."

Jonathan Oosting is a reporter for MLive Media Group's statewide news team. Reach him by email at joosting@mlive.com.